One Emirati daredevil is aiming to join an elite team of Jetmen and become part of the select few who will conquer a new form of human flight – rising above the clouds at up to 120mph with nothing but a jet-powered carbon-fibre wing, writes Jennifer Bell.
For Ahmed Al Shehhi, a professional at Skydive Dubai, becoming a Jetman has been a while in the making.
“I still have a very long way to go, but from the first day I saw the Jetman flying, I have been dreaming about it and, at the same time, thinking about how it’s work, and what kind of skills you need to be a Jetman. Now I have the chance, and I work hard to be the next Jetman,” says the 31-year-old Emirati.
The aviation enthusiast aims to follow in the footsteps of famed aerobatics champions Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen. The duo have made headlines with their breath-taking stunts, including an incredible flight alongside the wings of the world's largest passenger aircraft (an Emirates A380) over the Dubai skyline in 2016.
A TEMPORARY GLITCH
Al Shehhi had hoped to join the select band of stunt people in time for Expo Dubai 2020 where a series of displays were planned. While his date in the skies has been postponed until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Al Shehhi says his dreams have not wavered.
"The whole team behind Jetman Dubai is guiding me step by step,” Al Shehhi shares. "Jetman Dubai became a project supported by Expo 2020 under Mission: Human Flight. The pandemic hasn’t stopped our work, training or our research and development. We are full-force forward and upward.”
Training to become the next Jetman “is mostly R&D,” Al Shehhi explains, adding:
“It is about finding out how to make the wing and the system more reliable and allowing the pilots to achieve 100% autonomous flights. Each project and step has a lot of planning and work behind it.”
LIFELONG LOVE OF ACTION
Al Shehhi was bitten by the adventure bug early on and is a keen wakeboarder and skier.
In 2011, he got his first taste of the skies when a friend introduced him to skydiving. Less than a year later, he was picked to be part of the UAE national team, continuing his free-fall education on the Skydive Dubai demonstration crew in 2017.
Al Shehhi’s training to become a Jetman involved skydiving with a custom-built wingsuit and perfecting his base-jumping skills by skydiving from platforms such as a cliff edge or a building.
He also gained his private pilot licence in South Africa last year.
As travel restrictions ease following the COVID-19 pandemic, Al Shehhi plans to resume his training schedule.
“Once we are able to travel, I will continue training in order to achieve our goals by the end of 2021,” he says.
While skydiving gives a sense of freedom, Al Shehhi believes that once he has flown with a jet-powered carbon-fibre wing, he will find a "completely different” level of freedom.
However, Al Shehhi says skydiving has given him the tools that will aid him in achieving his ultimate goal.
“In skydiving, there are many skills that help you to become a Jetman pilot; I have most of them, and I continue to improve myself to be at the level of my partners Vince and Fred."
Does he ever get nervous soaring thousands of feet above the ground?
"I always respect the rules of any sports or hobbies to have fun - and be safe. Safety is always a priority. At the same time, you want to enjoy the moment. If something is new, then, yes, I get nervous. But (being) nervous is a good thing.”
“My family also gets nervous, but at the same time, they know that I always understand and adapt according to my level to keep myself on the safe side.”
MORE GRAND AMBITIONS
Aside from his ambition to be the first Emirati Jetman, Al Shehhi aims to develop the future of winged-flight alongside those who first designed and developed the Jetman equipment.
“My longer-term dreams and hopes, post becoming a Jetman, is to develop the Jetman and try to make it easy to operate and fly at the same time. We all have the same dreams of flying, and we are happy to be at the forefront of the development to get us there.”